
k'4. / 






COPYRIGHT DEPO&rr. 























What is knowledge , too , but recorded experience — 

Carlyle. 

































































NEW YORK OPERATING DIVISION 

















































^ -ibcLiV v c &.V ai t>» y y c. <L 

RECORDED 

EXPERIENCE 



STATISTICAL SERVICE DIVISION 



'“undtd It’ 6 


reau 

CHICAGO 

MONTREAL 

TORONTO 


BOSTON 

PHILADELPHIA 

DETROIT 


New York City 



HA31 

,5 

,L5 


Copyright, 1924, by Library Bureau 

W 22 /924 
©C1A792535 

^ ■t- o , / 4 


Book $07 — 3-24 
Printed in U. S. A. 


INTRODUCTORY 

A vital problem confronting the progres¬ 
sive business man of today is the effecting 
of a cleavage from recent and comparative¬ 
ly productive methods and inaugurating 
newer means—keener tools—which shall 
promptly and constructively function in 
the cutting of producing costs. In this, and 
no other way, may justifiable profits be 
maintained and the abnormal inflation in 
commodity prices be retarded. 

The World War abruptly changed the 
normal trend of industrial evolution, pre¬ 
cipitating a chaos of uncertainty—a con¬ 
dition in which precedent in a marked 
degree ceased to be a guide to future op¬ 
erations. 

During the war, profits were sustained 
by an automatic advance in selling price, 
at each increase in the producing cost. 
The discerning consumer did little grum¬ 
bling. The element of deliveries far out- 


INTRODUCTORY 


weighed most others in the matter of bar¬ 
tering. 

Conditions have changed. Radical ad¬ 
justments are imperative if an industry 
would prosper. The automatic upward 
tendency in the selling price is forcing an 
intensive analysis of operating costs. De¬ 
liveries no longer constitute the most im¬ 
portant element in trading, and the con¬ 
sumer is unwilling to carry the full burden 
incident to inflated producing costs. 

Mindful of the foregoing, we are issuing 
this little book as a medium of publicity, 
for we believe it is timely, describing as it 
does, an effective method of promptly and 
accurately accumulating facts and figures 
vital to the successful development of 
every forward-looking industry. 


FACTS, FIGURES AND REALITY 

One of New York’s famous police chiefs 
of generations ago, as original in his meth¬ 
ods as he was competent in results, occa¬ 
sionally indulged in observations notable 
for their common sense, quaint humor 
and poignancy. 

One of these which remains ever-green 
in the minds of many old-timers, is attrib¬ 
uted to him during a conference with his 
sleuths on a noted murder case. The plot 
was not clearing and the chief, plainly an¬ 
noyed, suddenly thundered: All of these 
facts have been proved to be indisputably un¬ 
true. As paradoxical as was the remark, 
his summary was probably correct. . 

Since the void donned the swaddling 
clothes of a universe, it has been frequently 
stated that facts and figures do not lie 
and a good many people have accepted 
this avowal in its literal sense, with little 
or no recourse to the imagination. 


FACTS, FIGURES AND REALITY 


If facts and figures do not lie, many of 
those who have accepted the statement 
will gladly or reluctantly admit they are 
at times exceedingly misleading. Facts are 
often delayed and figures are frequently 
both delayed and inaccurate. Far from 
being constructive in result, figures are of¬ 
ten plainly fallacious and even destruc¬ 
tive. Therefore, the homely remark of 
New York’s former police chief is not 
merely a cause for merriment. 


[10] 


ORIGIN AND PURPOSE 


It is significant that the conception of 
a statistical service division in Library 
Bureau originated in the mind of one of 
its customers, and not from within the 
concern. 

The essentials of such an organization 
are an intelligent, experienced personnel, a 
constant and discerning control, a flexi¬ 
bility in mechanical equipment and opera¬ 
tion, and such an invariable attitude as 
will create and maintain a relation of un¬ 
derstanding and good faith with its clients 
in the handling of facts, figures and gen¬ 
eral data of a confidential nature. 

Undoubtedly, there was in the mind of 
this man a realization of certain service 
qualifications and attributes around which 
Library Bureau had policied its growth. 
The fact that for over a quarter of a cen¬ 
tury the company had rendered much 


[n] 


ORIGIN AND PURPOSE 


service of a special type, including certain 
interchanges of confidential information, 
unquestionably suggested a relative fit¬ 
ness for the accumulating and clearing of 
statistics. 

In iqii a statistical service division 
was organized under the immediate man¬ 
agement of R. E. Fletcher, a graduate of 
Cornell University, and an associate of Her- 
man Hollerith in the development of the 
commercial tabulating machine. Following 
this development work, Mr. Fletcher was 
further identified with Mr. Hollerith in the 
work on the United States census, includ¬ 
ing the Cuban-Porto Rican census. He 
directed the installing and machine oper¬ 
ations for the census in Norway, and for a 
period of three years acted in the capacity 
of technical advisor on the only census 
taken by the Russian Imperial Govern¬ 
ment, in which upward of ioo millions of 
cards with their various results were suc¬ 
cessfully cleared. 


[12] 



BOSTON OPERATING DIVISION 






































































• "I 






































' 






































ORIGIN AND PURPOSE 


It is well that the management of the 
Statistical Service Division remains with 
a man who for more than twenty years 
has concentrated his attention upon the 
development, production and interpreta¬ 
tion of statistics in modern industry. It is 
significant that this period includes the 
most vital interval in the history of or¬ 
ganized production. 

Industry generally, recognizes now as 
never before, the tendency towards a nar¬ 
rowing of the margin between profit and 
loss. There are those concerns whose main 
product, once reasonably profitable, has 
ceased to be so and whose earnings must 
be sought through the medium of by¬ 
products. Such an example is fairly typical. 
The man or concern who prates of doing 
business in the old-fashioned way should 
not be wholly ignored, even though such 
an attitude points to industrial isolation, 
if not ultimate calamity, for there is much 


[15] 


ORIGIN AND PURPOSE 


in the past which might be productively 
capitalized in the forward movement. But 
because of increasingly keen competition, 
the merging of interests and greater con¬ 
centration of capital, the rule of thumb and 
the process of mere observation , are not in 
order. Facts and figures with their indi¬ 
vidual and relative values, comprehen¬ 
sively, promptly and economically accu¬ 
mulated, constitute the only dependable 
foundation upon which profitably to build. 

As evidenced by bitter experience, facts 
and figures, though accurately accumu¬ 
lated, are of little value unless prompt 
and timely. The converse is quite as true. 
Most statistical information is intermit¬ 
tent and periodic, thereby inducing a peak 
and consequent congestion in the clerical 
operations of the average concern. To car¬ 
ry a permanent, competent force for this 
type of work is warranted by few concerns, 
nor is the item of rental justified on tab- 





PHILADELPHIA OPERATING DIVISION 
























I ■ II t. • • > ' ■ " • • 


































































































































































ORIGIN AND PURPOSE 


ulating and sorting machines, idle for 
much of the time. 

A concern having one or two tabulating 
machines may consistently place two clerks 
on a job for ten days. The Statistical Serv¬ 
ice Division of Library Bureau could 
readily assign ten clerks and machines on 
the same work for two days—the saving 
of eight days is immeasurably important. 
This is made possible through a co-ordi¬ 
nated and flexible organization of special¬ 
ists whose number, mechanical equipment 
and capacity are based upon a constant 
flow of work of this type. 

It is the purpose and practice of this 
division to be more co-operative than ad¬ 
visory, viz: to obtain a result the client 
desires, rather than to advise the client 
the result to obtain. The very origin, then, 
of the Statistical Service Division of 
Library Bureau is indicative of its purpose. 
It is essentially a keen, reliable, flexible 


ORIGIN AND PURPOSE 


tool, available at all times and capable of 
promptly producing from a given quantity 
of facts and figures, an accurate and com¬ 
prehensive result. 


ORGANIZATION 


The division headquarters with its op¬ 
erating section is located in New York 
City. Operating branches in charge of ex¬ 
perienced supervisors of calculating and 
statistics are maintained in Boston, Phil¬ 
adelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Montreal and 
Toronto. Each branch has its corps of 
trained and practiced specialists, aug¬ 
mented by batteries of automatic calcu¬ 
lating, sorting and tabulating machines, 
and is adequately equipped to fulfill the 
requirements of a peculiarly exacting and 
semi-professional service. 

As already intimated, the division in 
its functioning is more co-operative than 
advisory; co-operative in the sense of ob¬ 
taining the specific results the client desires 
and when desired. It is advisory to the 
extent of placing at the client’s disposal a 
long and practical experience in calculat¬ 
ing and statistical work, an experience 


ORGANIZATION 


which frequently suggests a simple meth¬ 
od or means to a more flexible result, a 
result from which deductions or breakdowns 
may be promptly and economically made. 

The installation of each operating 
branch of the division has followed an evi¬ 
dent demand in that particular zone for a 
calculating and statistical service. The 
growth, far from spectacular, has been de¬ 
liberate and constructive, as the very char¬ 
acter of the service would suggest. The 
confidential nature of the data handled 
precludes the use of clients’ names and 
thus the division is deprived of a po¬ 
tential and accumulative medium of pub¬ 
licity. 

The location of the various operating 
branches in the more congested industrial 
zones assures the close and personal con¬ 
tact so necessary in this type of service, 
yet no branch is so remote as to be be¬ 
yond the well-defined policy and control 
of the division headquarters. 


[«] 


mm 



DETROIT OPERATING DIVISION 














































♦ 


• • ■ , • • 











■ 

















* 








































OPERATION 


The division’s field of operation is 
divided into two classes of service; the one 
computing and calculating, the other tab¬ 
ulating and recording. The product of the 
computing and calculating section is es¬ 
sentially the result of a method of mechan¬ 
ically applied mathematics (computing ma¬ 
chines) operated through the trained, in¬ 
telligent human element. This product in 
its setups and totals is expressed in figures, 
denoting quantity or values. For exam¬ 
ple— 

The carrying forward of bank deposits 
and withdrawals and figuring interest. 

The extending and closing of inventor¬ 
ies, computing payrolls and cost dis¬ 
tributions. 

The establishing and checking of exten¬ 
sions and totals of invoices. 

The computing of unearned premiums 
on reinsurance schedules. 


[2 5] 


OPERATION 


The tabulating and recording service, 
too, is dependent in results upon the ma¬ 
chine and specialized human element; but 
it may be said the machine in this instance 
combines a mechanically mathematical ac¬ 
curacy with an almost human flexibility 
and imagination, for here, digits and sym¬ 
bols may clearly define time and place, 
character or type, quantity and quality, 
potentiality and value, attitude or tend¬ 
ency, etc. For example— 

The recording of statistical data regard¬ 
ing securities and investments by type 
of security, investor, etc., over arbi¬ 
trary earning periods and under vary¬ 
ing selling conditions. 

The accumulating and permanent re¬ 
cording of time and material data 
from which man-hours, machine- 
hours, and finished labor and material 
costs may be obtained and various 
deductions made. 

The record of sales distribution by com¬ 
modity, class, period, territory, sales¬ 
man, value, etc. 


[26] 


OPERATION 


The recording and tabulating of adver¬ 
tising agency research material from 
questionnaires or other data and the 
producing of detailed analyses of a 
product from the consumer’s view¬ 
point. 

The actual tabulating and recording is 
accomplished through the medium of per¬ 
forated cards which are automatically fed 
into an electrically controlled machine. 
Contacts locate and register on dials the 
digits or symbols indicated by the perfora¬ 
tions, and in this manner a permanent rec¬ 
ord is established. 

In theory, this recording is similar to the 
perforated pianola record. In the latter 
case, however, but one selection of music 
may be rendered by any one record, where¬ 
as innumerable deductions or breakdowns 
may be obtained from the perforated card 
record. 

On page 2Q is a simple form of card 
which tells the story of a sales transaction. 


OPERATION 


The vertical fields of the card have been 
designated by letters of the alphabet for 


reference purposes. 


Field A 

is 

punched 23 Indicating—23rd day 

“ B 

“ 

1 

—January 

“ C 


24 

—1924 

" D 

** 

3 

—No. 3 territory 

“ E 


7 

—Connecticut 




(previously as¬ 
signed code 




number) 

“ F 


198 

—Meriden (previ¬ 



ously assigned 
code number for 





Meriden) 

“ G 


1 

—No. 1 salesman 




(Brown) 

" H 


100 

—100 cases 

“ I 


22 

—Lard (Clover 




Leaf Brand) 

“ K 


5 

—5-lb. can (pack¬ 




ing) 

“ L 


2 

—Grocery store 




(class of trade) 

“ M 


5000 

—5,000 lbs. (net 

“ N 



weight) 


0 

—0 ounces 

“ 0 


500 

—$500.00 (value of 




invoice) 

“ P 


0 

—0 cents 

** R 


15 

— $15.00 ] Amt.of 

“ S 


37 

" -?7 cents) tr gf 


The story, then, which this card plainly 
unfolds, is: January 23, 1924, a shipment 


[28] 











z 

/ 

12 




LOCATION 


/ DATE 


U 

E 



Salesman 

A 

B 

c 


H 

State 

City 


Day 

ko. 

Year 


D 

E 

F 

G 

0 0 

0 

0 0 

0 0 

0 

• 0 

0 0 0 

• # 0 

1 1 

• 

1 1 

1 1 

i 

1 1 

# 1 1 

1 1 • 

• 2 

2 

• 2 

2 2 

2 

2 2 

2 2 2 

2 2 2 

3 # 

3 

3 3 

3 3 

• 

3 3 

3 3 3 

3 3 3 

4 4 

4 

4* 

4 4 

4 

4 4 

4 4 4 

4 4 4 

5 5 

5 

5 5 

5 5 

5 

5 5 

5 5 5 

5 5 5 

6 6 

6 

6 6 

6 6 

6 

6 6 

6 6 6 

6 6 6 

7 7 

7 

7 7 

7 7 

7 

7% 

7 7 7 

7 7 7 

8 8 

8 

8 8 

8 8 

8 

8 8 

88l 

8 8 8 

9 9 

9 

9 9 

9 9 

9 

9 9 

9 • 9 

9 9 9 

1 2 

3 

4 5 

6 7 

8 

9 10 

11 12 13 

14 15 16 























































6 


















































. 


















OPERATION 


was made into territory No. 3, Meriden, 
Conn., to be credited No. 1 salesman 
(Brown); 100 cases lard, Clover Leaf Brand; 
packed in 5-lb. tins, ten to case (standard 
packing); type of trade, grocery store; net 
weight, 5,000 lbs. ;value of invoice, $500.00; 
freight, $15-37- 

It is obvious that from such records nu¬ 
merous deductions may at any time be 
promptly and economically made, as such 
methods establish a permanent, reliable 
record; for example, sales by period, by 
character of consumer, by territory, state, 
city, salesman, commodity, packing, etc., 
to say nothing of various combinations of 
these deductions. 

The organization and operation of the 
Statistical Service Division is such that 
the confidential handling of valuable and 
important data is insured. The preferable 
practice is to have the punching of the 
cards done on the client’s premises, thus 


[31] 


OPERATION 


precluding the necessity of removing rec¬ 
ords of any kind. 

The reports rendered the client are al¬ 
ways final, ready for use and easily viz- 
ualized. Where advantageous, graphs, 
charts or other illustrations are employed. 
Where a statement is voluminous or nu¬ 
merous copies are required, it is reduced 
in size without sacrificing legibility and re¬ 
produced through a plate process. 


13 1 1 


EXAMPLES 


Industry generally, might well be in¬ 
cluded in four major divisions, each with 
its innumerable subdivisions and ramifica¬ 
tions. These four main divisions are: 

Financial 

Production and manufacturing 

Distribution and sales 

Service—Public and individual includ¬ 
ing the professions, transpor¬ 
tation, light, heat, p6wer and 
intercommunication. Insur¬ 
ance, associations and socie¬ 
ties—scientific and otherwise, 
etc. 

The four more or less typical examples 
which follow are but suggestive. They have 
been chosen because they are simple rather 
than com pi ex. Where the last illustration of 
service depicts the compilation of certain 
research data of an advertising agency, it 
needs little imagination to picture the rec¬ 
ords of an insurance company as offering 


[ 33 ] 


EXAMPLES 


many opportunities for a practical appli¬ 
cation of such a service. 

Where the first example deals with the 
computing of interest accounts in a sav¬ 
ings institution, it will be admitted that 
the savings banks of the country consti¬ 
tute a small element in the division of fi¬ 
nance. 



CHICAGO OPERATING DIVISION 










































































. 






























































•»wM 














































' 




























■ 



































































































































































































LEDGER No. SEC. No. ( 


ACCOUNT 

NUMBER 

JAN. 

FEB. 

MARCH 

APRIL 


>7/ b 

>7/ b 

7"?/ 2 

7 

7 / 2 

*7 

/ o 

/ <0 


3o 


3 O 


/ 4-v 

/ 4*y 


/ 4-3 


J 4-6 

't'J 

2 y i 

22 0 


22 o 


27C 

30 

3 3 

3£ 


b o 


70 

3 1 

j 8 0 b 

/ 2 O b 

/ 

26 0 

/ 

27 0 

3V 

7' b 

7 / b 


y £0 


7 0 0 

33 

<7 yb 

7 4v 


7 3h 


7 £0 

34- 

32 

3 2 


38 


32 

3£ 

2 

8 


/ 


/ v 

3b 

/ 43 

/ 43 


/ 70 


/ 2 £ 

37 

£ / b 

•5 f 2 


£7'O 


£3 5 

32 

/ 7 y3 

/ 2 o o 

/ 

2 vo 

/ 

2 YC 

31 

4v8 / 

4*f / 

44ys 

41* 0 0 

4o 

£ O o o 

£ OO O 

£ 

000 

s 

000 

4i 

3 2 7 V 

3 20 0 

3 

7 So 

3 

800 

4v 

/> b 

/ 7 o 


Yoo 


/ 75 

4$ 

2v 

8v 


8v 


2 V 


/ OO 0 

8 o o 


476 


475 

4-3 

3/ V 

3 / 'V 


b y£ 


b V5 

4 b 

/ 7 2 V 

/ 2 o o 

/ 

2 / 0 

/ 

72 5 

41 

3 f 7 V 

31JY 

3 

800 

4o 0 0 

42 

3Vl 4 

33oo 

3 

£00 

3 

YOO 

H 

4 b 1 'y 

4*jo o 

4^0 o 

4-£o 0 

5o 

/ yso 

j Y£0 

/ 

YSo 

/ 

Y5 0 


b5 

313 4 / 

3<?js4 

314££ 


TAKEN OFF BY 

PROVEN BY DATE 

POSTED BY DATE 


) 


SHEET No. X 


MAY JUNE 


2 - 

73 v 

£0 

/ 7 0 

7/0 

70 

yj 3 V 

V£ 

/ 2 0 

7 / 0 

_ 

/ 

2 b 0 

/ 

2 b O 


70 0 


7/0 


2 vo 


700 


3 2 


32 


/ 0 


/ O 


/ 7 0 


/ 7 0 


£ b O 


£ b O 

/ 

87 £ 

/ 

270 

4 

5 y 5 

4 £l 0 

3 

000 

£ 

000 

3 

boo 

3 

2 / 0 


Vo 0 


Yv 0 


2 Y 


XV 


12 0 


72o 


£ 5 0 


575 

/ 

80 O 

/ 

2 0 0 

4 

/ 75 

4 

075 

3 

5 o 0 

3 £0 0 

4 b O O 

4b 0 0 

/ 

£00 

J 

7S0 

4 o 

427 

4/ 

01'] 


TOTAL 


INTEREST 

INTFRP.ST nw 

INTEREST 

CLOSED ACCTS. 

lb 

337- 

£4 44 


,75 

s~S 


744 

3/5 

535! 

tys4 


3 So 

,z 7 

If 

0£X 

3 b 84 

V 

V 

/43! 

55y4 

1252 


>72 

1 L 


52 

17 

/ 

o?t 

34 0 

3 

707 

fo yo 

/O' 

730 

3 b 43 

>b 

707 

270/ 

3o 

000 

/ 0600 

>>73 7' 

7 C>44 

/ /£/ 
4-17 

327 
/ b4 

4-7/0 

/570 

>999 

/ 000 

/ 0 

111 

3 S-] 7- 

73744 

70 i<jt4 

Iffl 

67 31 

77577 

275o 

9 >97 

3-]Se> 

737777 

_ 711 LL 















FINANCIAL 


Semi-annually the Statistical Service 
Division places a corps of its experienced 
calculators with a battery of machines in 
one of the largest savings institutions in 
the country. The business is to calculate 
the interest for the six months’ period. 

An illustration of the transcript ledger 
sheet is shown upon the opposite page. 
The net total of individual deposits and 
withdrawals for each month is recorded 
under the account number by the bank. 

The calculators compute and prove the 
individual totals for the six months’ period 
as shown in the illustration, and the semi¬ 
annual interest is computed on these in¬ 
dividual accounts. 

This process is simple, but must be ac¬ 
curately and promptly accomplished. The 
example clearly illustrates the peak, or pe¬ 
riodic load, with its consequent burden up- 


41 


FINANCIAL 


on the bank’s regular clerical force and re¬ 
sultant delay in certain of its routine work. 

The client’s experience unquestionably 
indicates that the accuracy and expedition 
with which the work is handled, coupled 
with the uninterrupted performance of its 
own clerical force, makes for a distinct sav¬ 
ing in operating cost. 

































‘ 












LABOR CARD. A 




RECAPITULATION CARD. C 





















































































































MANUFACTURING AND 
PRODUCTION 


An example of an applied method of ac¬ 
cumulating manufacturing costs and ob¬ 
taining an analysis of payrolls, material, 
labor direct and indirect, etc., is illustrated 
by the three cards reproduced on the oppo¬ 
site page: labor card, designated A; mate¬ 
rial card, B, and recapitulation card, C. 

The card C is headed up and placed on 
file when the order is entered. Behind this 
card are accumulated such labor and ma¬ 
terial record cards as relate to the cost of 
that order. This information is transferred 
to the recapitulation card C, which finally 
gives the total manufacturing cost of the 
order. 

The written data on both labor and ma¬ 
terial cards is correspondingly punched up¬ 
on each card, thus constituting a perma¬ 
nently tabulated record of labor direct and 


[ 45 l 


MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION 


indirect, and material from stock and out¬ 
side. 

The labor and material cards, A and B, 
are perforated in the fields to the left of 
order number field.. This punching is au¬ 
tomatically coincident in location with the 
position of the digits it is desired to record, 
just as much as if the digits were printed 
on the card. On card A, under month head¬ 
ing, number one position is punched indi¬ 
cating January. Under day, 22 indicating 
day of month. Under section number, 4 is 
punched, the number of section; and un¬ 
der the heading, man number, 245, the 
number of the operator. 

In this case, the recapitulation card C 
shows but five operations, and the labor 
card A, covering the item make-ready, 
merely typifies a method, for there might 
be one or one hundred operations, accord¬ 
ing to the size of the job. 


[46] 


MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION 

Periodically, the dual cards are sent to 
Statistical Service Division of Library 
Bureau, where they are tabulated, record¬ 
ed and a report promptly submitted, in¬ 
cluding: 

Total of direct and indirect labor, time 
and value. 

Manufacturing cost of completed orders 
and work in process. 

Machine tool efficiency. 

Material distribution by plant stock 
and outside. 

The tabulated cards are then either re¬ 
turned to the client or retained for a stand¬ 
ing record. Such information is promptly, 
accurately and economically rendered and, 
therefore, is decidedly constructive. More 
important is the outstanding advantage 
of being able at any time to immediately 
obtain further deductions or distributions, 
such as an analysis of labor direct or indirect 
for any given period, material from plant 


[47] 


MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION 


or outside by period, quantity, quality and 
type; efficiency of machine tools under va¬ 
rious operating conditions, etc. 


[48] 



NEW YORK DISTRICT 


N.Y. Broadway Sales 
Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 

N.Y.Madison Ave.-Sales 
Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 

N.Y. 42nd St. Sales 
Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 

Bklyn.Fulton St.-Sales 
Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 

Bklyn.Nostrand A-Sales 
Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 

Jersey City,N.J.-Sales 
Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 


TOTAL Sales 

Sales to date 
Invty 
Stk. Trn 


SAMPLE AND COMPANY 

SALES & INVENTORY ANALYSIS 
FOR TWELVE MONTHS ENDED 
December 31st, 1923* 


TOTAL LEADER PIONEER STORMPROOF TROPIC ICE KING 


4,298 

52 

1.367 

92 

18,118 

14 

4.223 

79 

8,595 

92 

1,661 

02 


34 


59 

9.139 

15 

2.103 

35 

23.364 

87 

5,294 

77 

10,407 

87 

2,666 

74 


68 


56 

10,192 

65 

2,257 

23 

23.532 

89 

5,482 

89 

11.231 

26 

2,147 

65 


57 


75 

5.127 

91 

956 

73 

16,918 

43 

3.503 

93 

11,160 

42 

1.433 

54 


34 


47 

4,842 

74 

753 

94 

14,985 

59 

2,208 

55 

12,404 

09 

1.413 

66 


22 


37 

3.135 

98 

562 

42 

7.037 

00 

1.308 

90 

6,230 

80 

991 

71 


50 


41 

36,696 

95 

8,001 

59 

103.956 

92 

22,022 

83 

60,030 

36 

10,314 

32 


41 


55 


273 

85 

2,149 

81 

1,110 

06 

10,261 

19 

626 

40 

4.923 

90 


32 


31 

863 

27 

4.557 

11 

1.677 

38 

12.991 

47 

960 

17 

5.104 

36 

66 


62 

746 

33 

5.553 

21 

1.496 

78 

13.508 

04 

1,040 

80 

5.173 

57 


53 


74 

584 

64 

2.555 

92 

1.183 

28 

9.868 

18 

837 

00 

5.179 

83 


50 


34 

320 

48 

3.240 

67 

895 

79 

9.892 

54 

1,521 

18 

5.436 

19 


15 


43 

593 

63 

1.149 

62 

1.169 

36 

2,830 

59 

651 

48 

3.528 

24 


6 7 


23 

3.382 

20 

19.206 

34 

7.532 

65 

59.352 

01 

5.637 

03 

29.346 

09 


44 


46 


295 

57 

171 

37 

1.503 

53 

1.019 

57 

743 

15 

641 

45 


29 


19 

1.093 

41 

522 

01 

2.495 

89 

905 

36 

1.258 

25 

418 

35 


64 


90 

994 

39 

641 

49 

1.998 

04 

1.047 

14 

1,789 

09 

1,080 

15 


41 


43 

682 

79 

347 

83 

1.700 

39 

662 

65 

2,406 

65 

1.303 

40 


21 


19 

463 

12 

64 

53 

1.739 

72 

248 

99 

2,899 

02 

1.134 

04 


12 


04 

460 

24 

370 

07 

996 

42 

731 

73 

614 

51 

444 

86 


57 


60 

3.989 

52 

2.117 

30 

IO.433 

99 

4.615 

44 

9.710 

67 

5.022 

25 


30 


30 




SALES DISTRIBUTION 


The exhibit on the opposite page illus¬ 
trates a twelve-month sales and inventory 
analysis of a branch or chain store distrib¬ 
uting system. 

A statement is rendered by the Statistical 
Service Division each month showing 
current and to-date sales, inventory and 
stock turnover for each district and each 
store in the district, and finally for each 
brand of the product sold in each store. A 
point in fact, is that in the actual case there 
are ten instead of five brands, five being 
used to obviate the necessity of reducing 
the figures in the plate. The method is sim¬ 
ple, the result, accurate and comprehen¬ 
sive, is submitted almost immediately 
upon receipt of the last sales and inventory 
data for the month. 

Duplicate sales checks showing the cost 
in code and sales price in figures, together 
with the total sales or control for each day, 


[51] 


SALES DISTRIBUTION 


are sent the Statistical Service Division 
each day by each store in each district. 
This data is currently tabulated and at 
the end of each month the cards are re¬ 
corded with the result as illustrated. The 
stock turnover is, of course, obtained by 
the dividing of sales cost by inventory 
value. 

The invariable advantage of flexibility 
is ever apparent, for, in addition to the 
comprehensive analysis submitted, as in¬ 
dicated by the illustration, various com¬ 
binations or deductions, may be made 
promptly and at a negligible cost from the 
permanent and accurate card record, the 
property of the client. 


[ 5*1 



MONTREAL OPERATING DIVISION 











































SERVICE FIELD 


The well-established advertising agency 
deals very largely in facts and upon facts 
and accurate figures are its campaigns 
waged, its expenditures allocated and its 
success assured. 

Field conditions must be obtained in the 
field; consumers’ opinions of and attitudes 
toward a commodity and its competing 
products must be gleaned from the consu¬ 
mer. This means interrogations and an¬ 
swers in the form of a carefully drawn ques¬ 
tionnaire which should combine answers 
in the affirmative and negative, together 
with others creating a certain background 
or atmosphere. 

In this particular case, the agency re¬ 
ceived three thousand questionnaires re¬ 
garding a domestic;product; one thousand 
through personal contact, two thousand by 
post. 

Each questionnaire included forty-two 


[55l 



SERVICE FIELD 


main questions, most of which had from 
two to thirty or forty subsidiary questions. 
The detail was thwarting, the time limited. 

The Statistical Service Division start¬ 
ed work immediately upon receipt of the 
first questionnaire, permanently record¬ 
ing the information as the questionnaires 
were received. The work was verified and 
concluded and the complete report of 
seventy tables submitted shortly after the 
receipt of the last information. 

The fact that the report was produced 
at a lower cost than the client could have 
finished it was inconsequential. In fact, it 
was worth to the client a good many times 
its price, as the value included in its prompt 
submission and accuracy could hardly be 
estimated. 


[56] 



TORONTO OPERATING DIVISION 




















































IN CONCLUSION 


As the conception of the Statistical Serv¬ 
ice Division was a mind picture of one 
who sensed the ideals and practices of Li¬ 
brary Bureau, so it may not be amiss that 
such commendation as the division 
merits should be expressed by one of its 
clients. 

Whereas, the quoting of a letter is some¬ 
times a commonplace, such a medium is 
reasonably unprejudiced: 

“I want to express my appreciation 
of the help which your organization ren¬ 
dered me during the-investigation. 

“If I had attempted to tabulate and 
sort by hand the answers to the 3,171 
questionnaires it would have been phy¬ 
sically impossible to do so in less than 
several weeks. What has astonished me 
most about your system of tabulating 
and sorting information was that I got 
my final results within a few hours 
after the last total had been completed. 

“Next time by working with your 
organization preliminary to framing a 


IN CONCLUSION 


similar questionnaire, I am sure that the 
time of tabulating and classifying the 
information can be cut down more than 
half and the cost very much lessened. 

“Your organization was so thorough¬ 
ly with me throughout this difficult 
work that I look forward with pleasure 
to having you handle a similar job for 
this company/’ 

An interesting fact not included in the 
letter is that work which would have taken 
the client several weeks to accomplish, 
was consummated by the Statistical Serv¬ 
ice Division in four days. 

No department better exemplifies the 
ideals and practices of Library Bureau than 
does its Statistical Service, and in the com¬ 
pany’s continued development there is ever 
the reminder that— 

A successful service is the expression of 

mutual confidence founded upon integrity. 


[ bo] 


Thomsen-Ellis Company 

BALTIMORE :: NEW YORK 




Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: August 2010 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson ParX Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 














































